Eliot's own reading of Four Quartets was masterly, but this recording is an elegant tribute. Fiennes has maintained Eliot's slow and incantatory measure, but has transformed the poet's now dated and slightly grim delivery with subtle changes of mood and pace.

These 12 stories explore Nigerians' experience of America where, oddly, fat people are poor and the rich are thin, cultures clash and dreams are unfulfilled. Adichie's storytelling and Andoh's narration are so compelling, I miss the characters now the stories are over.

America Empire of Liberty, Volume 3: Empire and Evil, written and presented by David Reynolds(BBC £24.47 7hrs)

These 30 episodes from the cold war to Obama's inauguration conclude this outstanding series. Reynolds's vigorous presentation of his sweep of American history, and the interwoven voices and news reports of the time, make for striking immediacy.